Nonspillable cup



March 6, 1948. L. J. LASKIN 2,437,784

NONSPI LLABLE CUP Filed Sept. 4, 1944 INVENTOR. Lows J Laskm A TTORNE'Y Patented Mar. 16,1948

NONSPILLABLE CUP Louis J. Laskln, Los Angeles, Calif., asslgnor to William I. Zidell and Louis J. Laskin both of Los Angeles, Calif., doing business as Lasdell Products 00., Los Angeles, Calif., a partnership Application September 4, 1944, Serial No. 552,643

6 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a non-spillable cup, and has for an object to provide a cup that will hold liquid and has the dual advantage of being capable of being drunk from and yet will minimiZe spilling if tipped over on its side.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cup with a cover that will prevent spilling when the cup is upright, and at the same time the cup can be drunk from without removing the cover.

Further objects are to provide a cup of the character mentioned whose cover can be easily removed for filling the cup and which cover can be moved to an entirely closed position that will prevent all liquid from spilling from the cup, irrespective of the position of the cup.

Still other objects of my invention are to provide such a cup that is economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a top, plan view of a cup embodying the foregoing objects.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the cover in a different adjusted position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section, taken on the line 33 of Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and partly in elevation.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference number 5 generally indicates the body of my present cup. The cover is generally indicated by the numeral 6. The inner face of the body 5 has a shoulder upon which the cover 6 rests when in place,

To permit liquid in the bottom compartment 8 of the cup to flow past the cover, I provide a recess 9 that extends down below the shoulder 1, as best shown in Fig. 4. The cover 9 has a slotted opening ill at the bend between the floor l2 and normally upright wall l3 of the cover. When the cover 6 is turned for the opening [0 to register with the recess 9, liquid in the compartment 8 may flow around the edge of the floor l2 and outside of the floor I2 of the cover,

2 whence it can be drunk. When the cover 9 is turned so that the opening I0 is out of register with the recess 9, then liquid in the bottom compartment 8 cannot flow therefrom.

To aid in such flow, an air vent I4 is arranged in the cover diametrically opposite the slotted opening ID, in the bend between the floor l2 and the normally upright wall l3. I5 is arranged .in the inner face of the body 5 of the cup, through and below the shoulder l, diametrically opposite the recess 9. Thus, when the slotted opening I0 is in register with the recess 9, the air vent I4 is in register with the recess l5; and when the slotted opening H1 is out'of register with the recess 9, the vent I4 is out of register with the recess IS.

The floor l2 of the cover 6 is preferably pitched to slope downward toward the slotted opening H), as indicated by the shade lines on the botto l2 in Figs. 1 and 2.

A locking means may be employed for my present cup, if desired. A satisfactory form is shown in the drawings, to wit, bayonet grooves at opposite sides of the inner face of the cup, above the shoulder 1. Each bayonet groove comprises a vertical groove section l6 and a horizontal groove section II. Lugs l8 on opposite sides of the outer circumference of the cover 6 engage in the bayonet grooves. That is to say, in order to lock the cover 6 in the body 5, the cover is inserted in the body with the lugs sliding downwardly in the vertical groove sections l6. Then the cover is turned, thus causing the lugs to travel in the horizontal groove sections l1, thereby locking the cover in position. To remove the cover, this operation is, of course, reversed. Notches l9 and 20 are made in the lips 2| and 22 of the cover and body, respectively. When the notches are in vertical alinement, the lugs l8 are alined with the vertical groove sections I6, so that the cover is in an unlocked condition and may be lifted off. It is to be understood that my present cup may be used with or without said locking lugs and bayonet grooves. Due to the relatively close fit between the cover and the body, there is friction, and even without the aforedescribed locking means, when the cover is turned so that the openings in and I4 are out of register with the recesses 9 and IS, a partial vacuum is created in the compartment 8, which tends to hold the cover in place on the cup.

The shoulder 'l' is not only a support for the cover, but increases the vacuum caused by partial withdrawal of the cover 6, since the shoulder A small recess provides an additional impediment to air entering the chamber around the cover. This shoulder I, therefore, increases resistance to removal of the cover I.

My present cup has many uses, including use on shipboard, since it will prevent liquid in the cup from slopping out, even when the vessel is rolling considerably, and it is very useful as ababy cup to minimize spilling when the cup is' upset, and many other uses.

In such uses, it is believed clear that a person drinks from the cup with the cover in place, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. with the air vent ll registering with the recess i and the slotted opening l0 registering with the recess 8, liquid will flow through the recess 9 and opening Iii when the cup is tipped at one side, as indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 4. The person then drinks the liquid that has escaped through the opening II. To close the cup, the cover 8 is turned, which moves the openings and I4 out of register with their respective recesses 9 and ii.

If the locking lugs l8 and bayonet grooves are used, the cover 8 may be lifted out of the body 5 when the lugs II are in register with the vertical roove l6 (indicated by the fact that the notches i8 and 20 are in alinement). To look the cover in place, the lugs 18 are moved downward in the vertical grooves i8 and as the cover is turned, after the lugs reach the bottoms of the vertical grooves, the covers are locked in position.

'In the hereunto appended claims, the word cup" is to be taken to mean a class of containers that comprises both cups and mugs.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cup, a hollow body element having a shoulder extending around the inner circumference thereof, and a dished cover element nesting within the body element and engaging the shoulder, the body element having recesses therein extending through and below the shoulder, the cover element having a passage for the flow of liquid therethrough and having an air vent, the cover element being rotatable to move the passage and vent into register with the respective recesses to communicate the hollow of the body with the interior of the cover element, the passage and vent being arranged to be closed by the shoulder when the cover element is rotated upon the shoulder to a position placing the passage and vent out of register with said recesses.

2. In a cup, a hollow body element having a shoulder extending around the inner circumference thereof, and a dished cover element having a close-fitting, telescoping connection within the body element and engaging the shoulder, there being recesses in the body element extending through and below the shoulder and the cover element having a passage therethrough and a vent, the cover element being rotatable to move the passage and vent into register with the recesses to communicate the hollow of the body with the interior of the cover element, the passage and vent being arranged to be closed by the shoulder when the passage and vent are moved I the body and cover having bayonet locking means extending around the inner circumference time of, and a dished cover element nesting within the body element and engaging the shoulder, the body element having recesses in the body element extending through and below the shoulder, the cover element having a passage for the flow of liquid therethrough and having an air vent, the cover element being rotatable to move the passage and vent into and out of register with the recesses respectively, the passage and vent being arranged to be closed by the shoulder when the cover element is rotated upon the shoulder to a position placing the passage and vent out of register with said recesses, the floor of the cover element below the upper edge of the body element sloping from the vent downward to the passage.

4. In a cup, a hollow body element having a shoulder extending around the inner circumference thereof, and a dished cover element having a close-fitting, telescoping connection within the body element and engaging the shoulder, the cover having a lip closely overhanging around the upper edge of the cup, there being recesses in the body element extending through and below the shoulder and the cover element having a passage and a vent therethrough, the cover element being rotatable to move the passage and vent into register with the recesses to communicate the hollow of the body with the interior of the cover element, the passage and the vent being arranged to be closed by the shoulder when the passage is moved out of register with the recesses, the close-fitting arrangement of the cover with the surrounding surface of the body, of the lip of the cover with the upper edge of the cup, and of the cover with the shoulder tending to produce a partial vacuum when the cover is moved outwardly from the body, to resist accidental removal of the cover from the cup.

5. In a cup, a hollow body element having a shoulder extending around the inner circumference thereof, and a dished cover element nesting within the body element and engaging the shoulder, there being recesses in the body element extending through and below the shoulder and the cover element having passages therethrough, the cover element being rotatable to move the passages into register with the recesses to communicate the hollow of the body with the interior of the cover element, the passages being arranged to be closed by the shoulder when the passages are moved out of register with the recesses, and

arranged to lock the cover in the body element, and the body and cover having exteriorly discernible indicia arranged to be in alinement when the bayonet locking means is in an unlocked position.

6. In a cup, a hollow body element having an internal annular shoulder and diametrically opposite passageways extending through said shoulder, a close fitting cover element telescoping within the body element and hermetically closing same, the cover element forming a, shallow basin and provided with diametrically opposite openlugs for fluid and air. said cover element being 5 6 axially rotatable in one direction to aline the openings therein with said passageways to com- Um STATES PATENTS municate the hollow of the body with the interior Number N t of the cover element and in another direction to 178,693 White June 13, 1876 move the openings therein out of alinement with 5 608,590 Freund Aug. 9, 1898 said passageways to seal said body element, and 610,049 Henderson Aug. 30, 1898 means to lock said cover element on said body ,15 King t. 2, 1 00 l m t, 729,583 Henslor June 2, 1903 870,556 Harbour Nov. 12, 1907 LOUIS J, em, 10 908,706 Sprinkle Jan. 5, 1909 1,141,609 Canning June 1, 1915 BWENCES CITED 1,254,251 Magnus Jan. 22, 1918 1,509,734 Langley Sept. 23, 1924 The following xeferences are of record" in the 2,003,657 stubblefiel'd June 4, 1935 tile 0! this patent: 15 2,358,600 Selten Sept, 19, 1944 

